[134] A review of balancing methods for total knee replacements
S K Al-Nasser1, S Noroozi1, R Haratian1 and A Harvey2
1Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
2The Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth, UK
In total knee replacement (TKR) surgeries, balancing the soft tissue around the joint is a crucial step for ensuring the success of the operation. Currently, surgeons balance the joint by carrying it through a range of motions to feel if it is properly balanced. This method relies on the surgeon’s experience and not on any quantitative data or feedback.
Over time, there have been attempts to improve the surgical process of joint balancing by improving the design of the implants, introducing technology to improve the alignment and introducing intraoperative sensors to aid in balancing. Through the development of this technology, surgeons have, over time, been able to balance the load in the knee more accurately and easily.
There is currently conflicting information about the ideal target loads for balancing the intraoperative load. However, the use of a sensor, within a range of values, during TKR surgeries would still provide patients with a better-balanced knee. Balancing the soft tissue around the knee could provide patients with an easier, shorter recovery time and a better quality of life in terms of decreased pain, increased mobility and longer durability of the joint. Additionally, a more accurately balanced knee could reduce the need for premature revision surgeries, which would decrease the economic burden endured by the National Health Service (NHS) and increase the patient’s quality of life.
Over time, there have been attempts to improve the surgical process of joint balancing by improving the design of the implants, introducing technology to improve the alignment and introducing intraoperative sensors to aid in balancing. Through the development of this technology, surgeons have, over time, been able to balance the load in the knee more accurately and easily.
There is currently conflicting information about the ideal target loads for balancing the intraoperative load. However, the use of a sensor, within a range of values, during TKR surgeries would still provide patients with a better-balanced knee. Balancing the soft tissue around the knee could provide patients with an easier, shorter recovery time and a better quality of life in terms of decreased pain, increased mobility and longer durability of the joint. Additionally, a more accurately balanced knee could reduce the need for premature revision surgeries, which would decrease the economic burden endured by the National Health Service (NHS) and increase the patient’s quality of life.
